THE WORDS " NINE " AND "NEW."
[TO THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."] SIR,—Looking back to your issue of July 8th I notice that Mr. Mayhew just misses " the mark." He is right in saying that "eight" (oktou) is a dual formation, and that primitive men (or one section, the Shumero-Accads) reckoned by " fours." But these fours were not digits or fingers. Each "four" represented a completed geometrical figure of four equal sides and angles—squares. "Eight" was the double square en 8) and " nine" was to begin making squares
anew. The tail which our " 9 " still retains represents this new beginning of the third square, though the two squares of the eight have collapsed into one loop.
"A nine days' wonder "—a short-lived wonder—was a new revelation of the relics of the saints which were carried for
• Except the last two lines, which I failed to capture, the rest of these verses I composed while asleep. I have many times seemed to male verses in sleep; only thrice could I recall them on waking. The four lines called " Which ? " were also ;nude in sleep. The psychological interest of this sleep product may excuse this personal statement. nine days in procession, quickly to be put away and forgotten.
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